Will live video and TV be the future of Twitter?
“We will definitely have 24/7 video content on Twitter… Our goal is to be a dependable place so that when you want to see what’s happening, you think of going to Twitter” – Anthony Noto (COO and CFO, Twitter)
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Shortly after Twitter’s Q1 earnings report, which taught us the company added nine million new users in Q1, bringing the total to 328 million, it was announced that Twitter is thinking more and more like live video content platform and TV network, according to a BuzzFeed News report.
Twitter is enhancing its live video offerings across multiple verticals, with a focus on sports, news, and entertainment. Some of the highlights include (via Recode):
- MLB: weekly live MLB games that stream on Twitter, plus exclusive other programming
- PGA Tour: more than 70 hours of live competition coverage across 31 tournaments
- Bloomberg Media: Bloomberg will debut the first-ever 24/7 breaking news network that will be global, live, social and exclusively on Twitter
- Circuit Breaker: The Verge’s Gadget Show is a weekly live program that will review and experiment with the hottest gadgets
- BuzzFeed News: MorningFeed, a brand new morning news and current events show broadcast live on Twitter by BuzzFeed
- Cheddar: Cheddar’s hour-long Opening Bell will stream live daily at 9am ET from the New York Stock Exchange
- Propagate: #WhatsHappening is a new live daily, entertainment-driven, primetime show on everything in the world that embraces Twitter’s unique conversation
According to TechCrunch:
“Live video has been an audience draw for Twitter, and some of its product efforts, including prominent placement of streaming content in the mobile app when available, and the introduction of an Apple TV app with a primary focus on video, has helped get those eyeballs. BuzzFeed notes that its own election coverage ended up bringing in around 7.7 million unique viewers, for instance.”
Insights on video content from #SMWNYC
At #SMWNYC, Michelle Klein (Marketing Director, North America, Facebook) explored the future of video, and how platforms will continue to evolve and help marketers reach consumers in new ways. We’ll see over time how Twitter will continue to evolve from a video perspective, and perhaps it will look a lot like what Facebook is doing.
If you’d like to watch Michelle’s full session, and gain access to 150+ hours worth of content on best practices and future trends in media and technology, sign up for SMW Insider.
SMW Staff
SMW News, Social Media Week
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